Today is designated as the National Day of Service in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Locally, the Volunteer Connect program has about 28 projects in Deschutes County that could use some help.

Spokesperson Natasha Smith explains how it came about. "It was a long battle in legislation to get it passed. But it did years ago. It’s just a way to give back to communities. One of dr. king's beliefs was to give back to communities to strengthen it, so everyone can reach a common goal. So that's what we're trying to do here, is we're trying to get people out in the communities to give back and then hopefully they'll continue to do it though out the year and not just one day."

Smith says there are opportunities to volunteer in almost all cities in Central Oregon, you can find out what's needed on the volunteer-connect website.